Why should you go Overseas to Study ?
This is a question that is asked of me very often. My first and instant reaction to this is – that you don’t have to – if you don’t want to! India has some of the finest institutions of higher learning like the IIT’s, IIM’s, Delhi University which has premier colleges like St. Stephens, SRCC, Miranda House etc etc. So if you feel any of these institutions checks all the boxes th
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at you want – then you don’t need to go overseas. However, our higher education system is a little flawed because of which you may end up getting exasperated and very disappointed with the admission process in our country and there may come a situation where you may have to look towards your Plan B.
Let me explain a little more lucidly, and give you an example: Delhi University for example opens it admissions for the popular programs at 98% and closes them at 97%!!! And in most cases there is no second list – which means that all the seats are closed at 97%. Now what happens to the child who has 96% or for that matter even 86%. By no standards is this student an unintelligent one – however he is not able to get admitted to the college of his choice nor to the program of his choice. So this makes the child totally dejected with the admission system and some of them end up with mental health issues. Here is when Plan B is required to be put in action. These children need to understand that – it’s not the end of the world if you did not get into Delhi University because you may have a better path awaiting you. Even Parents need to understand that there is a limit to the kind of pressure your child can take. So relax, yourself and give your child a breather as well. Keep a plan B for your child – open the options of applying to an Overseas country just in the event of your child not being able to get into a college of his choice or a program of his choice. Let him fulfil his dreams in another country! Believe me, during the course of that one year that your child has applied your priorities will change and your plan B will be become your preference and convert into Plan A!
Also if your child goes overseas – he/she is exposed to a very holistic curriculum – something he/she will never get in India. Courses in personality development, leadership skills etc. are all part of the curriculum there irrespective of what he is majoring in – resulting in an output of a multi-faceted personality!
– The kind of resources available to the student especially if the interest is in high tech areas like Nano-technology, Machine Learning, Big Data, AI etc. are incomparable.
– The student gets an opportunity to blend his passion/hobbies along with his career path.
– Besides the education system being holistic, the admission process is also very holistic as foreign universities feel that marks are not a true reflection of the student’s capacity to learn.
– Last but not the least your child thrives in a system driven society – where basic emergencies as a norm, are handled in less than 5 minutes; and where the pollution level hovers in the range of 60-80 as compared to close to 400 that we have in Delhi.
A lot of parents have the notion that overseas education is expensive and not affordable for all. However, that is far from the truth now – there are expensive Universities and less expensive ones – a range from which you can pick according to your own affordability. All universities offer entrance scholarships based on the academics and profile of the student which can be deducted from the annual tuition fee payable. Additional scholarships and bursaries are also available – some of which can cover a full ride, provided the child has the profile to qualify for it. Then there are universities which offer work study programs through which you can fund a large chunk of your education.
So guys, even if it’s a financial stretch – do it – because it is really the best gift you can give your child and the best investment you can ever make on their future!
Ms Renu Mehandru
